Prehistoric Park: The Ultimate Wildlife Sanctuary
by Nathanoraptor
Summary: Prehistoric Park sees thousands of guests a day. This is the story of some of these guests as they experience the wonder and have the most unexpected things happen. Welcome to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary. Welcome to Prehistoric Park
1. Welcome to Prehistoric Park

**Hi! I'm Nathanoraptor, and this is my first real fanfic, I've had the account for several years now, and posted some stuff, but just haven't the time to write more stories, what with school and health problems, amongst other things. This is my first real attempt at writing a full story; so don't judge me, OK?**

Chapter 1 – Welcome To Prehistoric Park

 _Nigel Marven, quoted in Louis Theroux's documentary Prehistoric Park: Inside The Sanctuary that Time Forgot_

"Yes of course, we were always going to open to the public. And, whenever I get gloomy about the state of the world, I think about the guests. I imagine the pure uncomplicated wonder people from all over the world feel as they experience it, together with their friends and families. It's the one thing that makes me keep on doing this job. And, sometimes, I've got a sneaky feeling, if you look carefully, you'll find that some of the most unexpected things happen…

 _Somewhere above the Cerro de la Muerte mountains, Costa Rica_

 _2 Hours Ago_

The plane rocked through turbulence. Nathan Jackson woke from his sleep caused by the plane's turbulence. His father was still snoring next to him oblivious of the high altitude winds rocking the aircraft. It was boiling. He could see beads of sweat trickling down his forehead and slowly trickle down, each bead leaving a little dark trail as it rolled down his head. Bored as hell, he decided to look out of the window at the circular window to his right to see mist lazily rolling over the Costa Rican Cerro de la Muerte mountain. Over ten hours of flying, excluding the six hour stay in Grenada, he was finally going on his dream holiday.

He remembered the day, four weeks ago, that his father announced he had booked the holiday. When he had made the announcement that they were going to Prehistoric Park, Nathan had been so excited, he was bouncing. He didn't even know what his father or anyone had said, just that they were going to Prehistoric Park. Nathan himself had said something about how excited he was at getting to see real dinosaurs in the flesh and had been thanking everyone for making this possible.

His excitement had been deflated when James, his sister's boyfriend, had said, with his trademark mocking grin, "Yeah, you might meet the raptor trainer. You know, the one you have a mancrush on."

Nathan still felt angry at the snub. Owen Grady was Nathan's personal hero. Nathan had read every article, watched every TV show appearance, seen every interview about him that he possibly could. Owen Grady had, initially, been a dolphin trainer for the US Navy Marine Mammal program, when he had caught the eye of John Hammond, who recruited him as an animal behaviourist for Prehistoric Park. In interviews, Owen had always been cynical about his time at the Navy, describing himself as "basically a dogsbody" and that he had left because he had become disillusioned as to the true goals of the project, describing his former employers as "short-sighted" and "a jingoistic computer which views everyone and everything around it as a statistic". However, now, he had become a prestigious figure in behavioural science, just like Jane Goodall had been fifty years previously. He was considered the most prevalent dromaeosaur expert in the world and had written endless papers about the creatures. In his knapsack, Nathan had a copy of his book, Being The Alpha, a world bestseller. In photographs, Grady always stood with a friendly grin and a large, powerful dromaeosaur (usually a Dromaeosaurus or a Utahraptor) by his side. Posed like this, he looked rugged but amiable at the same time. At least that was how he appeared to Nathan, who studied the pictures minutely, taking in every detail.

When Nathan read about Prehistoric Park, he felt like he could drift away. In his mind, he wasn't just a chubby, socially awkward, fourteen-year old boy with no-one who really understood him. He was somewhere different. Somewhere glamorous. Somewhere else. He was Owen, winning the respect of a pack of deadly predators. He was Nigel, travelling back in time at risk to life and limb and rescuing species on the brink of extinction.

He was someone else.

His mind returned to the television embedded in the plane's roof. It was still flashing bright colours, even after so many hours had passed. At least it had stopped playing various cartoons in five different languages. Lazily, Nathan reached into his shirt pocket for his complementary headphones and plugged it into the audio jack in his armrest. He cringed when he realized that the channel was an American celebrity news programme. He felt like saying that if he had wanted to know about Miley Cyrus he would have stayed in Britain. Well it was either Miley Cyrus or the rhythmic snoring of his father, next to him. He chose Miley Cyrus. The woman on the screen was chosen purely for her looks and definitely not her rapport, with her very irritating sing-song voice that was trying to mimic a Californian accent. Ignoring the woman, he sat back and waited, wondering about the wondrous time that was to come…

 _Now_

Nathan eagerly stepped off the yacht and onto a lavish dock. Looking around, it briefly occurred to him that John Hammond really did spare no expense. He looked around to see flag poles had fluttering flags on the end with the now famous Prehistoric Park logo printed on it. A set of escalators in front of him led up to a gleaming white monorail. He could hear many exciting sounds: the call of seabirds, the ecstatic chattering of people in a multitude of languages all around him and a voice speaking in different languages over a speaker system and a faint sound of trumpets. He recognised the tune from the trailer when Prehistoric Park was announced, almost three years ago. After cycling through Chinese, German, French and Russian, the speaker system finally chimed in a language that he recognised.

"Welcome to Isla Nublar, home to Prehistoric Park. Please go to the monorail carriage on your ticket and begin your ride through prehistory."

He looked down at his ticket. Next to the formidable skull of a T Rex there were the letters 06 printed in red ink. Looking for carriage six, Nathan and his family travelled up the escalator. A courteous staff member took their luggage as they went to take a seat on one of the chairs in the carriage. Nathan had sped ahead, to make sure he took the seat by the window. The trumpets continue over a speaker system inside the monorail. The doors slid closed and the monorail set off silently. Nathan looked around him to see the cliff face and sea were devoured by tropical trees and thick fog. Fittingly, it looked like he had entered prehistory. A voice comes over the speaker system as the trumpets become louder and more triumphant.

"There is something missing from our world. The amazing animals that time has left behind. But what if extinction didn't have to be forever?" Looking out of the window, Nathan noticed that the tropical trees had become replaced by monkey puzzles and conifers. He could also feel the monorail going up higher. "You will now set off on a safari with a difference which will take you from the dawn of animal life to the Ice Age. Your first stop will be Wyoming 155 million years ago in the Late Jurassic."

The monorail stopped and Nathan's heart skipped a beat with it. He turned his head out of the window to see a plain full of ferns and horsetails. However, the plants were not the things that Nathan, or indeed anyone else in the carriage, noticed. Their attentions were more focused on the long necked behemoths making low grumbling noises. They were easily the tallest things Nathan had ever seen. On the windows of the monorail light blue fact sheets suddenly appear. Nathan noticed that the sheets had emerged from tiny projectors on the walls. Anyway, he didn't need the fact sheet to know what the giants were. He knew they were Brachiosaurus. He also knew that Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Stegosaurus and Dryosaurus, among others, also lived in this plain but he couldn't see them. For a few minutes, he was speechless. Seeing them on television was one thing, but seeing them close up was another thing entirely.

After a few minutes, much to Nathan's disconcertment, the monorail started again. Eventually, the sides of the monorail became swallowed by tropical trees again. After fifteen minutes or so, the monorail stopped in front of a building, with a straw roof and grey walls. The walls had imprints of different fossil animals ranging from pterosaurs to ammonites, for decoration. The doors to the monorail slid open and Nathan was almost knocked over by the heat from outside as it greedily seeped through the carriage. He heard a voice instruct the guests to head to the building where they would watch an introductory video. As Nathan took his seat, the lights dimmed and on a screen, the late billionaire John Hammond started talking.

"Welcome to Prehistoric Park, where extinction doesn't have to be forever! Before we start you might be wondering how Prehistoric Park came to life. It started when I had an idea for a preserve called Jurassic Park but I'll need my friend to help explain." Nathan zoned out. He'd read about the whole story before.

In 1955, Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein had planned to, using quantum fusion, create an alternative to nuclear energy. What they instead created, in 1958, was the secret to time travel. The only people who knew about it, besides them, was a twenty-three-year-old John Hammond, an assistant at the lab and a mysterious researcher called "The Green Stripe". After they died and Green Stripe disappeared, Hammond was left as the sole custodian of the secret. Hammond's mind drifted away from physics and he became interested in the, then-rising, science of genetics. In 1982, weeks before his fiftieth birthday, Hammond formed the genetics company InGen. However, his mind kept drifting back to the portal, still in storage in one of InGen's high-security rooms. He couldn't change time, obviously, but he could bring objects back from the past. In the 1980s, where conservation of the world's endangered species was starting to enter people's minds, the phrase "Extinction is forever" was often banded around. Hammond wondered; what if extinction didn't have to be forever? What if we could bring back the species we had lost?

In 1989, John Hammond purchased the Los Cincos Muertas y Nublar island chain off of the Costa Rican government to create what he had, enigmatically, called "the greatest conservation project in history". Calling his preserve Jurassic Park, Hammond planned to use the time portal to rescue dinosaurs from the past and maintain them in the present. Concerned as to what people would use his time portal for, Hammond planned to make a cover story about the dinosaurs being cloned from blood found inside amber. Any… discrepancies with palaeontology known at the time could be explained away with the "fact" they'd used DNA from modern animals to fill in the sequence gaps. In 1993, however, after his first grandchild was born, Hammond had an attack of conscience about, basically, lying to the public and pulled the plug on the project. Jurassic Park had ended, but Hammond's dream had not.

The story picked up again in 2010, where Hammond was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. His diagnosis made him ponder what his legacy would be. He came to a realisation; he would only be remembered as a figure of hate, mocked by anti-GM activists and environmentalists the world over. In order to prevent this, Hammond looked at the islands again and began planning what would be his ultimate legacy. Hammond, when pondering this, had an epiphany: Why save _only_ dinosaurs? What made them so special? When he could use the portal to save _all_ extinct animals, from trilobites to mammoths? It was a more grandiose plan, yes, but one that would be, ultimately, far more rewarding. But from there came another problem; who to do the job of actually bringing back the animals? And who to run the project, which would surely outlive him? Hammond's greedy, ambitious nephew Peter Ludlow was certainly not a worthy candidate. He had already tried to oust his uncle from his position as CEO of InGen (ultimately, failing) and had been trying to steer the company into darker waters (an increased focus on military programs and "consumer-based" products). Who knew what havoc he could wreak if given the project? These questions wracked Hammond to no end.

The answer came when Hammond, by pure coincidence, viewed a programme starring wildlife adventurer Nigel Marven. Marven's bravery, skill and devotion to animals made him a shoe-in for the job. Ludlow had never forgotten nor forgiven his uncle's snub and even tried to sabotage the park's construction, in order to show that Nigel was an inappropriate choice to run the project.

In 2013, Prehistoric Park used the time portal to start rescuing extinct animals and in early 2015 preparation began to start opening Prehistoric Park to the general public. On the 11th June 2015 Prehistoric Park opened and the rest, as they say, was history (pun intended).

Nathan tuned back in to see Hammond prick his finger with a comical ouch which causes some children to laugh and Nathan to smile. From his finger, a cartoonish DNA strand with googly eyes flew from Hammond's finger and started to fly around him. "Mister DNA! Where did you come from?"

"In your blood silly! DNA strands like me make up all forms of life…", Mr DNA responded, in his trademark Texas drawl. What follows is a video of Mr DNA explaining cloning and genetics. After explaining why Jurassic Park failed he starts to talk about how Prehistoric Park acquired its animals and how it avoids changing time. Nathan zoned in at the part of the video where Hammond and Mr DNA explained park safety, ending with a comic image of Mr DNA running away from a pack of raptors, all the time earning laughs from kids.

Nathan walked out and was soon handed a bracelet, as described in the video. Nathan and his family were escorted to your hotel. After briefly unpacking, he stood outside the balcony, watching a Costa Rican sunset. Nathan was so excited, he was bouncing. His ultimate holiday began now.

 **Dedicated to Gerard Anthony O'Neill (1934-2015) and Harry Ralph Jackson (1930-2015). Two selfless men who I will miss greatly, to who I owe so much to and who will always serve as an inspiration to me. You both always said I had potential, and all I needed to do was have a chance to show it… and, when you said that, I somehow don't think you imagined this. Ah, well.**

 **Sorry, this seems rushed. One, it's my first real full story and two, me and writing 11 at night do not go well together.**

 **This series will be updated regularly; if possible, there will be a new chapter every Sunday. If you come in and don't find one, expect it to be up some time during the week.**

 **And, in case someone gets angry, I apologise for the retcon. I thought if Mortal could retcon the reason Hammond made the portal and if the Iron Bar Park retcons Lewis Dogdson's backstory, I could retcon the Jurassic Park stuff. The retcon will not be mentioned again.**

 **It also would explain Ludlow's obsessive desire to sabotage the park, if not rationalise it. Because, think about it, you're going to be upset, hurt and angry if your own uncle considers a** _ **complete stranger**_ **a better candidate to run an important project than you. It's a bit sad because, rather than prove himself worthy, Ludlow instead chose to sabotage others, in order to prove them unworthy. Surely money isn't** _ **that**_ **important.**


	2. Day One

**Thank you for all of your messages of consolation at my grandfather's death. I'm coping well, thank you. Grief, actually, was not the reason the chapter was delayed. The reason why is I had university assessments (each of which were worth 30% of my grade) to revise for.**

Chapter 2 – Day One

The day had not started well.

"What can you do with your dumb boyfriend, you can't do with me?", Nathan said, in a huff, as he ate his breakfast. "A lot of things!", James mockingly shouted from the balcony. Holly looked apologetically at him and said "I'm sorry. But I already have things planned for today." Seeing Nathan's expression, she smiled and said "Don't worry. I'll take you on the Night Tour later." Nathan smiled. He liked spending time with his sister.

Holly was four years older than Nathan. She was, from Nathan's perspective, practically an adult. They had a very close bond. She'd watched out for him a lot when he was young. In fact, they'd been virtually inseparable. Then, two years ago, she'd met James. That was the moment everything went down the crapper. She was never around anymore. Now, Holly having a boyfriend would be fine. It was just James as a person he didn't like. James was, in his view, a useless, pretty boy who didn't have enough brains to fill an eggcup. But his parents liked James, so they never wanted to hear Nathan say anything bad about him. They just told Nathan to grow up.

Nathan's mother said "Nathan, remember what we said about letting Holly do what she wants?! And besides, Gerard said Lauren and Jack wanted spend the day with us, anyway!" Nathan silently rolled his eyes. He didn't like Gerard.

Gerard was Nathan's uncle – his mother's brother. That didn't mean he had to like him. In fact, Nathan found Gerard to be a jerk of the highest caliber. His two kids didn't help. Ten-year old Lauren, the elder of the two, was alright. But, Jack…

Jack was seven (almost eight) – he was the youngest in his mother's side of the family. He was extremely spoiled; he got "stuff" all year long from his parents for absolutely no reason. His parents were also extremely overprotective of him. The result is that he basically had a really annoying narcissistic attitude. Now, Nathan was like that as a child, but, somehow, this was much worse.

A prime example of this was on his 7th birthday, the August before. Both Nathan's aunts had presents for him, but his mother didn't. This was unsurprising; it wasn't particularly common for aunts and uncles to give presents – Nathan very rarely got any substantial presents from his aunts and uncle. However, Jack was the youngest, and so there was, apparently, some kind of unwritten rule that says he should get some material property for his birthday or something. After unwrapping both of the presents his aunts had got for him (and immediately throwing them aside because he didn't like them), he walked up to Nathan's mother and said "you didn't get me anything?". She apologized to him, his face dropped and he walked away.

Last Christmas, Gerard had called Nathan's mother to talk about Christmas presents. His plan was to 4-way split the price of an iPad (£700, to be exact) with Nathan's mother and their two other sisters. Which was fine. However, at the end of it, he had the _audacity_ to say: "maybe you should pay a little bit more since you didn't get him anything for his birthday." Keep in mind, none of his other cousins got much of anything from anybody besides their own parents. That didn't bother Nathan. What bothered Nathan about the whole thing was that his mother had been basically bullied, by her own brother, into taking £200 out of her pocket. This was at a time where Nathan's family was in serious money trouble; the telecom company Nathan's father worked for had failed to achieve a major deal that a lot of people's careers had been riding on. This meant that many of the employees, Nathan's father included, had had their wages halved until they "decided what to do" with them. To make matters worse, the manager of the bank Nathan's mother worked as a teller had openly refused to give her a raise. To be exact, he'd laughed in her face for a full minute and told her to get out of his office.

They'd gotten through it all right. Nathan's father had gotten back his full salary (after he and several other valuable employees had threatened to send complaints to HR that they were being unfairly denied full pay). But the fact was that Gerard was much better off than them. Both he and Liz, his wife, worked high-paying jobs at a pharmaceuticals company. Nathan didn't know how much money they made, but he knew that they, combined, made twice his father's annual salary. Now, Nathan didn't care at all whether his mother got him expensive presents or not, but he knew for a fact that he never got £200 worth of presents for Christmas (which was also his birthday).

Nathan's mother didn't help. She just let him walk all over her. Every year, she ran around after Gerard's kids, whilst he was away. Every Christmas, she cleaned up after her family whilst they all got drunk in front of the television. Every time, she just ignored people who complained that she was being a doormat and that she should stand up for herself.

Nathan's mother walked him to the lift. After a few minutes, they walked out into the lobby. Suddenly, Nathan felt something slam into him, sending the wind right out of him. A blonde head with shiny blue eyes stared up at him. "Nathan!", Lauren's voice yelled excitedly, as the ten-year old hugged him tighter.

He looked up to see Gerard, Liz and Jack standing in the lobby. Gerard said "Alright, Potter?", laughing maliciously. Gerard had adopted this nickname for Nathan ever since Nathan had been forced to have glasses, because, since his glasses were slightly oversized, he bore a slight resembelance to Harry Potter. Gerard had adopted "Potter" as his nickname and never ceased to make jokes about it when he was in earshort. Nathan sheepishly said "Uncle Gerard, you've been calling me that for two years. Why do you still call me it?"

"Because it's funny.", he replied nonplussed. Nathan rolled his eyes. Gerard thought he was the pinnacle of humour, despite the fact that virtually all his "jokes" were terrible. In fact, not just terrible, awful. However, he was blissfully unaware of this; if you didn't think his jokes were funny, you obviously had no sense of humour.

They walked out of the hotel, into the park. A suggested first destination was the Carboniferous House. Nathan had read all about it. A large EFTE dome, which covered 1.56 hectares (one of the largest domed exhibits in the world), it was home to the Carboniferous giant insects and amphibians. The entire building was airtight, in order to maintain the higher oxygen content which the Carboniferous animals required.

They entered through the doors and were instantaneously hit by the hot, humid air. However, the humidity was not what Nathan's mother complained about. She detested bugs at normal size never mind the staggering size of the Meganeura and Arthropleura. "Oh my god! Just look at it!" she cried. The shiny brown carapace of the Arthropleura sparkled in light as they listened to the many legs clack against each other.

Nathan looked, mystified, as he saw a Pulmnoscorpius looked at him from under some leaf litter and a Meganura buzz near his head. Suddenly, he caught, in the corner of his eye, Jack was trying to grab the Meganaura. Nathan walked up to Jack, grabbed his arm and murmured "Jack, stop it!" Nathan's mother turned round and snapped "Don't you embarass him in public!" Nathan looked "But, Mum, he was…", Nathan stammered. "I don't care what he was doing! Don't you make a scene!", she shouted, earning looks from everyone in the crowd. Someone in a blue tour guide outfit walked up to Nathan's mother and tapped her on the shoulder. As she turned to look at him, he stated, "Um, Ma'am, excuse me… you're making a scene."

Somehow things seemed to be conducted quicker after that. They'd only briefly stopped to see the giant Crassigyrinus, swimming around in its pond. In less than five minutes, they were out of the Carboniferous House.

Nathan's mother turned to him and said, in an exasperated tone, "What am I going to do with you?" Gerard turned to her and said, "Tell you what, Linda. Why don't I have him for the rest of the day? You and Andy could get some well-needed time to relax." Nathan looked at his mother with an expression of barely concealed pleading, _Please, please, anyone but him_. No such luck was coming. Nathan's mother cast him a withering look and said "Sure. See you later." She walked off, before turning to him and saying "Remember, be good!"

After that, Gerard suggested going to Sorna, the large island and they headed off for the monorail. With a hiss, the doors slid open and they took the nearest unoccupied chairs that weren't filled with families excited out of their minds speaking in every language that could ever be spoken. They wouldn't have wait a while before they arrived at their stop; Sorna was the closest island to Nublar. The window was cold against Nathan's head as he leant against it. He turned out of the window, to see Isla Nublar scatter past him as the monorail silently sped across the track. Judging how he saw through the leaves the orange and black stripes of a Caspian Tiger he knew that the track was fast leaving Nublar. His estimate was right as the monorail then sped over the tranquil sea. At one part he saw a large whale tail burst from the surface before sinking back down.

"Mom, look a Basilosaurus!" a little kid with a Texan accent shouted in glee. "Yes honey," his mother said with apparent disinterest.

He never understood that from some people. Why come to a remote island chain that was rumoured to be haunted by the ghosts of murderers and inhabited by some animals that went extinct before terrestrial plants evolved if you look at them with disinterest? He remembered what someone had written on a review site that the Tylosaurus had just swam past his viewing area and did nothing. He wrinkled his nose at the thought, thinking _Well I'm sorry that the bloody thing didn't smash through the viewing dome and rip apart your family in a frenzy of blood and gore for your entertainment_! Well, those people were few in number.

Prehistoric Park was well liked by most of the world. Several giant corporations poured sponsorship and money into the park. For example, Imdominus Isle, on Nublar (the park's newest big exhibit) had been funded by several companies, including GoLite clothing and Sony. Celebrities also visited the park. He'd seen in the hotel, how everyone, from the presenters of _Top Gear_ to Scarlett Johansson and even politicians like David Cameron and Barack Obama, had visited the park and written glowing reviews.

Several important conservation groups had supported the place. The WWF and other conservation organizations wrote glowingly of the park. The WWF had even co-masterminded the Eastern Cougar reintroduction project, with several more to come. Animal rights groups, however, the relationship was more…. frosty. PETA had, initially, supported the park, but the instant it opened to the public and it became trendy among the animal-lib types to dislike Prehistoric Park, they had dissacoiated themselves from it and stated that they'd been "decieved" by the park's true purpose. Born Free and CAPS had also written disparapagingly of the park. However other, more moderate, groups expressed a degree of support, with Friends of the Earth writing "Whilst it's not the best outcome (no form of captivity really is), there could be many worse outcomes".

Nathan looked out over the sea and briefly saw the Basilosaurus' tail fluke resurfacing again. He briefly smiled, when the monorail suddenly jerked to a stop and the doors slid open. He looked to see _Wadi Al-Hitan Formation_ in blue text on the roof. He looked, shook his head and walked out the doors.

Looking down, from the top, he saw what looked like a thick log slithering into the sea between some mangroves. The giant snake Gigantophis. He couldn't wait to see that monster. He sprinted down, into the viewing area, ignoring Gerard and Liz's requests for him to slow down.

The room smelt heavily of salt water. No water could get in but it definitely did nothing to hinder the overpowering smell of the saline water. Nathan was always amazed by the exhibit design of Prehistoric Park. They had copied Hagenbeck Zoo where most of the barriers to the exhibit were natural barriers and any actual fencing was tactfully hidden. He'd read, though, that originally there had been a few bits of fencing where there hadn't managed to construct a natural barrier or where fences were needed for using the transport vehicles. Whilst the staff knew not to do anything stupid near the barriers, it was decided that guests couldn't be trusted and in the majority of exhibits, actual barriers were put up. This was a prime exhibit exemplifying this. There was a slight cliff face which dropped into the exhibit which was full of mangroves submerged in tranquil blue water while the rest was a golden beach. Out of sight was a series of submerged rocks which stopped the denizen within from making a bid for freedom via the Isla Sornan sea. There were also several glass panels spanning the ridge of the rocky cliff, allowing guests to view the denizen.

He paused at a glass pane, long enough for his relatives to catch up. Some people were kneeling down eagerly looking through the glass panes, which stood over two metres high. Some were ignoring the tank and some people were standing further back with expressions of fear and trepidation. He could see why. Some people were scared of snakes. A snake over 10 metres long would be an ophidophobe's nightmare.

Someone gave a small yelp as from behind one of the mangroves in the warm water a long, serpentine black and green shape emerged. It moved following a pointed head in an S motion through the clear water. It was a magnificent looking animal. At over nine meters long, its black and green skin was perfect camoflauge for the wetlands it hunted in. It blended in so well, it was hard to tell what was detritus and what was snake. It looked similar to that of an African rock python, with curved teeth that were every bit as sharp. When it opened his mouth, his curved ivories shone white in the sun until it was hard to tell what was water and what was his teeth. Its green eyes coldly stared at the humans observing it, with a look of calculated indifference.

Jack lent on the glass panel and started tapping on the glass. Nathan reached to stop him but the memory of the chewing out he'd earned before stopped him. He knew something would happen; snakes often hunted through vibrations and it, surely, could sense the idiot's banging of the glass. This proved to be correct, when the water exploded and with an audible clang against the transparent glass, the Gigantophis struck, trying to seize Jack. Many people shrank back, and some even shrieked out loud. "Jack!" Nathan yelled, grabbing Jack's arm,"You knew it would do that! Don't do it again!"

"Oh, Nathan, lighten up!" Gerard laughed, "He was just having fun!". Nathan stammered "B-but the sign said….", to which Gerard responded with a mocking imitation, before laughing "'B-but the sign said…' You are _such_ a killjoy!". In response to this, Jack and Liz burst out into hysterical laughter, earning amused and curious looks from the rest of the crowd. Several members of the crowd let out little giggles. With everyone's stares boring into him, Nathan looked like he was about to cry.

Suddenly, a woman with tanned skin and shoulder-length chestnut coloured hair wearing a Prehistoric Park keeper's uniform walked into the viewing area. According to her name badge, her name was Maria Ramirez. She walked through the crowd, towards Nathan and calmly asked him "What happened?". Nathan, pointing to Jack, spoke in a hurried nervous tone "Well, my cousin was tapping on the glass and the snake struck it. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen to me!"

She turned to Gerard and said "Sir, please, you were told on arrival not to disturb the animals". Gerard gave the keeper a sour look, "It was a laugh! Lighten up! You're a bigger killjoy than my nephew!" he laughed, pointing at Nathan, who shrank back in fear. Maria remained poker faced and said "It isn't about lightening up, sir. It's about park rules. Your nephew was perfectly well within his rights to stop your son. There is a sign that very clearly says "DO NOT TAP ON THE GLASS". "Of course… but, but but…" Gerard stammered. This was the first time Nathan had ever seen him without a sarcastic, mocking or "witty" comeback. Nathan smiled at this victory. The crowd looked around at them, looking like they were about to burst out laughing. Gerard, unable to find a response, just muttered under his breath, "It's just a big python, anyway", before turning to walk out. "Come on Nathan!" He walked out, taking his family with him.

Maria watched them leave and turned to Nathan, "Listen, about what happened…. You did the right thing. You understood that there are rules against that sort of behaviour and that you have to respect our animals. You know, we need more guests like you. People who've read the rules. Have a good day." She smiled at him and walked out.

Nathan stayed for a while, watching the snake stare at them. He said, more to himself than the snake, "Sorry you had to hear all that" and sadly walked away. Almost as if in affirmative, the snake brought its head out of the water and hissed at the departing humans before returning back under the watery world where it reigned.

 _Meanwhile, on Isla Nublar_

The two birds easily stood over the golden grass in Santa Cruz Plains. If they didn't tower over a human they most likely would have vanished in the height of the grass. The female issued a low caw from her huge orange beak which reverberated around the exhibit, to which the slightly smaller male replied to in kind. Periodically, one of the birds would bend down, pick up a branch or twig in its beak and carry it over to a large pile. According to the sign, the birds were collecting material for a nest. Holly stood for a few minutes, calmly watching the birds stalk around through the long grass. According to the sign they were Phorus-something… Holly didn't know how to pronounce it. No doubt Nathan would. He knew the name of every dinosaur known to man. What she did know was that watching them was almost hypnotic. They were working in perfect synchronised harmony. As soon as one put down a stick that was suitable for their nest, the other would carry a new one.

James had gone to the toilet a few minutes ago. Holly was alone. She began to silently muse, contemplating a tribal necklace in her hand and playing with the beads as she did so. She did a little retrospect of her life so far. Having completed her A levels, with flying colours, she had gotten an offer from one of the most prestigious medical schools in the country. This had led to arguments. James didn't like the idea of his girlfriend overtaking him in terms of success. He'd been offered to try out for Everton FC and he said, in his words, "I don't want us to go in different directions". In order to achieve this, he'd tried to bully her into rejecting her offer, largely to sate his ego.

She couldn't share anything with him. She couldn't tell him how she felt insecure when James checked out other women. It made her feel inadequate. In fact, no, it made her feel ugly and unattractive. He always just told her she was just being paranoid, that she was a "jealous killjoy" and that "it was nothing". This got them arguing again. He'd threatened to dump her, repeatedly. If he made good on his threats… well, she didn't like to think about that. In the last six months or so, it was clear their relationship was failing.

That was part of the reason she'd agreed to go on this holiday. She wanted to rekindle _something_. Maybe on beautiful tropical islands, surrounded by some of the greatest creatures that had ever lived, maybe, just maybe, something would change. She'd booked a romantic picnic under the stars on the beaches of Sorna, the large island. Maybe a romantic night on a beautiful tropical beach, would cause something to change. Maybe, just maybe, he'd tell her that he...

She sighed, shook her head, and put the necklace back in her bag. The fact was, a lot of teenage couples didn't survive past A-levels. Most of their friends had ended their relationships, largely due to either cheating or embarassing circumstances. At her 18th birthday the week before, her best friend's now ex-boyfriend had been arrested after being caught having sex with another girl in the toilets of a pub. With that relationship ending, she and James were the only couple still together.

She turned back to look at the birds. They were silent and were standing, looking at their partially completed nest. They briefly nuzzled, in a display of affection, letting out throaty, quiet clucks. She smiled at this; they were reaffiriming their pair bond. According to the guidebook she had, they paired for life, spending their whole lives together as a monogamous couple.

"Well?" She was brought back to reality by James roughly shaking her by the shoulder. Apparently, at some point in the last 10 minutes, he'd returned from the toilets. Confused, she turned to look at him, before saying "What?" With a mocking smile on his face, James said, "Well, don't you think Lisa was a skank?" He scoffed, before adding in a mocking sneer " _She_ left me."

Holly nodded. She had to. James had drummed that into her head. James was always right and everyone else was always wrong. If you disagreed with him, you'd evidently just had a lobotomy. The necklace she had in her bag was an example of that. The necklace was handmade by a Neanderthal tribe and supposed to grant an everlasting love to whoever wore it. James had snorted at this and called her a romantic idiot for believing in "some poncy hippie crap". He'd left his at the hotel. This got her thinking about James. She couldn't just dump him. James was a pillar of the community, the athlete of his generation at Sacre Coeur, the star striker of the town's best football team, their very own David Beckham. If she dumped him, she would be an automatic social pariah.

After five minutes watching the birds, James said, in an aggravated tone, "They're not doing anything interesting, are they? Come on, let's go and see something else", before walking off. She stayed for a few minutes, before she heard him shout "Holly! Come on!". He then walked up to her, grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away

As she left, she looked at the birds, still focused on collecting items for their nest, working in perfect tandem. How she envied them. _Their_ relationship would be perfectly uncomplicated. By that she meant, the male's wandering eye would not settle on another female and vice versa. They wouldn't have any doubts or any anxieties that they'd done the wrong thing. They would just stay together for the rest of their lives. They had a better relationship than she would ever have.

 **Apologies this chapter's a bit long, but it represents a turning point in the story. It's going to split into three or so narratives:**

 **Nathan, having to deal with his two bratty cousins.**

 **Holly, musing on her relationship with James, her boyfriend.**

 **Andrew and Linda (Nathan and Holly's parents), whose problems you will see in the next chapter.**

 **Sorry this seems rushed. Again, me and writing at 11 at night do not go well together. Bye for now.**


	3. Day One: Part Two

**I'm going to do something a bit different from this chapter on. Whenever a new chapter is published, I'm going to put some additional material on it as well, vaguely connected to what goes on in the story and events that are mentioned; an extract from Being the Alpha (Owen Grady's book, mentioned in Chapter 1), articles documenting the celebrity visits mentioned in chapter 2 et al. Well I hope you enjoy.**

Day One: Part Two

As Linda Jackson walked through Main Street, she looked at the Park Guide, in order to decide where she should go to have a relaxing sit down and a drink, whilst she made her way back to the hotel. Indominus Isle, Hell Creek and Morrison Formation were quickly nixed, as she didn't want a Gigawhatsitzillasomething roaring in her face and the Carboniferous House was nixed… on principle. After much deliberating, she decided to go to the Ice Age exhibit, the area closest to her current location. As she walked, goosebumps began to develop on her arms, indicating that she was nearer to the area. When she arrived, she was almost instantaneously hit by the icy air. However, it was not the temperature that was drawing the admiration of everyone present.

A large herd of mammoths, of all ages and sizes, were grasping great handfuls of grass with their trunks and tearing it from the hard earth. The herd had one baby, who was playfully running around the outside of the mammoth herd making faint trumpeting noises of excitement. A herd of large black cattle (aurochs) and a herd of large deer (Megaloceros) grazed around the giants. A bit further up, a herd of smaller woolly elephants (mastodons, according to the guidebook) were eating from a grove of pine trees, accompanied by several, of all things, camels.

She leafed through the guidebook and turned to the page on mammoths. They all had names, no doubt, but she could only remember a couple; that of the lead female mammoth, Martha and that of the baby mammoth (named after a former president of Poland).

Suddenly, a big rhino with shaggy brown fur ambled closer towards the mammoth herd away from the forest. According to the guide, it was a woolly rhino (the scientific name was Coelodon or something). The baby mammoth curiously went up to the rhino and gave a trumpet of introduction. She had to supress a laugh when the solitary rhino gave a hostile grunt which sent him sprinting back to the herd and into the loving trunk of his mother. That reminded her of Nathan. He'd been such a fearful child, always hiding behind her at the slightest provocation. Those memories were a bit bittersweet now. Nathan was beginning to grow up, just as Holly had before him. The day, when he was eight, he told her he knew Santa wasn't real nearly broke her heart. She remembered what the mother of Holly's friends had told her, about her daughter going to university; "It only seemed like yesterday, she was a little girl". She looked back at the baby mammoth, now ringed by his vigilant relatives. At least _he_ still needed his mother.

She purchased a Coke from a nearby drinks kiosk and sat on the bench, watching the different herds for a few more minutes. It was very peaceful, in fact, almost lulling. She smiled, feeling like she had really been transported aeons into the past, to a long-vanished world. When she saw the rhino, still calmly grazing, she was suddenly reminded of a common workplace joke, said when the boss was taking one of his fifty coffee breaks.

 _What's loud, aggressive, smelly and sits around eating all day? Mr. Simmons_

She felt bad about that actually. By comparing Mr. Simmons to the rhino, she was doing the rhino, who was now tranquilly grazing, a grave offence. The dislike was personal, somewhat. Dave Simmons, her manager at the bank she had worked at for the past twelve years, had used to make fun of her in school. And, in adulthood, she'd been stuck in that unenviable situation, that most people dread; her school bully had become her workplace bully. When he'd taken the job, he'd moved her closer to his office, so it would be easier to viciously berate her whenever he felt like it, for no apparent reason.

When he'd refused to give her a raise that time, she'd felt like complaining to HR. According to the rules concerning raises, employees were allowed temporary raises if they were going through monetary trouble or other difficult personal circumstances. However, she didn't, because he'd threatened to fire her, permanently, if she breathed a word of the incident to anyone. This, combined with the memories of being threatened to part with her dinner money in school, sufficiently cowed her.

Gerard calling had made things worse. When Gerard had called, he'd used one of his favourite tactics; emotional manipulation. Initially, he'd suggested she donate £300 to the "Jack's iPad fund". When she'd told hm that was an unreasonable amount of money, he'd dialed it down slightly to £200, less than before, but more than Barbara and Wendy's £175. When she'd tried to reason with him, he'd said, "Well, £200 isn't much in the big scheme of things, is it?" In the end, slightly ridden by guilt, she'd surrendered the money. Andy hadn't liked that. He kept on telling her that she was being a doormat and that she should start standing up to him in future. She never listened. She reasoned that, since he was family, he deserved to be listened to.

After a few minutes, watching the different herds graze, she decided to move along to the cave bear pen. Three large bears, a male, a female and a younger animal, inhabited the paddock. They were roaming about, sniffing around their enclosure, probably searching for food their keepers had left them whilst they were sleeping. Cave lions and cave hyenas also lived in this area, but she probably wouldn't see them. The hyenas largely came out at night and were very rarely seen during daylight hours and the lions spent much of the day asleep, except during feeding time.

She checked her watch. It was time to leave. She turned and briefly looked back at the baby mammoth, ringed by his vigilant relatives, a very peaceful family scene. It got her thinking about her own children. Now, she didn't want Nathan and Holly not to grow up. She just didn't want them growing up that fast, so fast that she felt like she'd missed out their childhoods. She gave a brief sigh, shook her head and left.

 _Meanwhile, on Isla Sorna_

Nathan emerged from the walk to grim looks from his relatives. That was enough to leave Nathan quiet for the next couple of hours. Those hours drifted aimlessly by, as they bypassed the Moertherium and Arsinotherium paddocks and the Basilosaurus tank. As they sat down, in order to get their bearings, Lauren turned to Nathan and said "I'm sorry about before. When my dad was laughing at you. He makes fun of you all the time; he calls you "Nerdy Nathan" and "Harry Potter", when he thinks your parents aren't listening, because of your glasses. He made a really nasty joke about you to his friends once; he said he thought you have jaundice because you're "such a yellow-belly". Mum and Jack think they're funny, but I think they're mean." Nathan's face dropped to this sudden assassination of his character, to which Lauren smiled, "Don't worry. I still like you". And then, suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a clumsy, but tight hug.

The hug was quickly broken off when Gerard and Liz came back about 30 seconds later and told everyone to get moving. Nathan briefly turned back to see the Basilosaurus and could briefly observe a narrow, knife like silhouette cutting through the water. According to the map, the Red Beds were the closest exhibit to Wadi-al-Hitan. This was the area home to the park's Early Permian animals; two species of Edaphosaurus, the amphibians Eryops and Seymouria, and the predatory peclysaurs, Sphenacodon and Dimetrodon. He smiled at the thought of the last species. It was one of his top three prehistoric animals (the other two being Paraceratherium and Utahraptor).

"Yeah, one of your favourite dinosaurs lives there", Gerard sneered, as if reading his mind. He was still in a bad mood from the chewing out the keeper had gave him. Nathan didn't bother to correct him. Dimetrodon, despite common misconceptions, was not a dinosaur. It was, in fact, closer to mammals than reptiles. However, this relationship was not immediately seen at first glance. Dimetrodon were, in essence, still reptiles; scaly, polikothermic and largely sluggish, spending the majority of the day basking in the sun.

Until now, he had not realised how different real Dimetrodon were from his initial view of them being a komodo dragon with a sail. Real ones stood in a semi-erect posture, like an alligator. The sail was actually a hump, in which a few spines were visible on individuals poking out through the fat. There was a small layer of protohair covered them (hardly visible most of the time) and they were semi-aquatic and primarily hunted large fish. Prehistoric Park always liked to throw a curveball at your expectations of extinct life. No, what the Dimetrodon did was highlight the difference between accurate and real. The Dimetrodon from books were _accurate_. The ones from Prehistoric Park were _real_.

"Hey, ugly! Wake up!" Jack cried out to the nearest Dimetrodon, earning him a barely suppressed laugh from Gerard and Liz. Nathan cast him a dissaproving glare. There were five of them; all currently hugging the earth looking like hump-backed monitor lizards instead of their normal stance. They wre all staring expectantly at the water. They knew food was coming. One looked at them and gave a grunt before he went back anticipatorily glaring at the water. Another yawned, showing a mouth filled with vicious looking, pointed teeth. There was a small hut that adjoined the lake that the Dimetrodon swam in. Inside there was a boat which was filled to the brim with fish, with two small seats which allowed the keepers that were feeding them to steer the boat. Nathan didn't envy them. At the best of times this probably would be precarious. He'd read that Dimetrodon had a bite pressure three times stronger that of a spotted hyena, in order to break the plating on the armoured fish they hunted. If you fell out of the boat and into the water, you'd be extremely lucky if you got out with all your limbs intact. "Wouldn't catch me goin' in there", a man with a Texan accent briefly whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. The Dimetrodon hardly paid attention to the humans looking at them. They were still staring at the boat, as it sailed out of the hut.

"Well, they're not doing anything interesting, are they?", Gerard said, contemptuously. Nathan smiled, anticipatorily, and muttered, more to himself than anyone else, "They're waiting. Be patient". There was one brief instant where everything went quiet, as the boat rowed out to the middle of the lake. This silence was broken when the keeper on the sharp end threw a large sturgeon into the water.

A Dimetrodon stood up and let out a low guttural bellow, like an alligator. Suddenly, just like giant clockwork toys, every Dimetrodon in the enclosure made for the water, shoving and kicking past each other as they did so. At that moment, Nathan, no, everyone present, quickly realized why each Dimetrodon had large scars on their bodies. Water, mud and fish guts flew all over the place, as each Dimetrodon tried to grab as many fish as they possibly could, fighting with each other over the choicest ones. A particularly large catfish was grabbed by two Dimetrodon simutaneously, causing a brief fight to ensue, ending when the larger of the two whacked the other on the snout with one clawed paw, leaving three long gashes, and tore off with the fish. Lauren gave a small yelp, drowned out by the Dimetrodon's triumphant bellows at claiming their meals. As soon as it had begun, the appocalyptic brawl was over.

"We proudly present, Dimetrodon!" Nathan laughed.

A frightened Liz decided that if Lauren and Jack weren't going to have nightmares of a Dimetrodon bursting through their hotel room, it was best to immediately leave. They decided to go to the Tunisian Plains exhibit, where Lauren seemed to like the Barbary lions, still imitating their roaring as they started to tour the rest of the island. Due to the large size of Sorna they couldn't look around all the enclosures so they went to see a few more, including the Eocene Trail, where Nathan had to stop Jack from chasing a Leptictidium, and the Europasaurus/Archaeopetryx enclosure, where Gerard did a goofy impression of one of the sauropods, along the lines of "der, my bwain is so small", to which Nathan cast him a dissaproving glare, earning him the phrase "Lighten up!"

The day dissapeared quickly, as it seemed like ages ago that they had left the monorail. James had texted Gerard and Liz that he and Holly were coming to take Nathan on the night tour. Liz briefly gave her phone a disgusted look before saying "We'd best be getting back. We don't want to be here when Holly arrives". Gerard gave a little chuckle of agreement, "Yeah. I'd rather stick my head in a blast furnace than see that idiot Holly calls her boyfriend. See you tommorow, Nathan. Have a good time on the Night Tour". Nathan breathed a little sigh of relief, as the monorail whirred into the station. The monorail stopped with a hiss and the doors whirred open…

 **Since I'm writing this at 11 at night and I really need to get to bed, the additional material will be posted sometime this weekend. Oh, and by the way, yet another retcon. My headcanon for this is that, when the herbivore paddock in Tunisian Plains was expanded, they expanded into the Sornan Ice Age section, including the camel paddock. Certain animals got jiggled around a bit; the main Barbary lion pride is living in the cave lions' old gaff and Scar is living in the cave hyenas' former accomodation (LionGleek, you will understand the irony). The dire wolves were moved to Tacano, near the La Brea animals. I reasoned that there would be movement of animals around Prehistoric Park, as well as in it, particularly during Back From The Ashes, where it's mentioned that space on the islands is running out. It would be easier to conserve space by moving new animals into old enclosures when necessary, rather than construct all-new enclosures.**

 **Anyway, have a Merry Christmas. Except for GlarnBoundin, who is an asshole.**


	4. Python and Bowwow Meet Santa Claus

**Python and Bowwow Meet Santa Claus**

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the park

not a creature was stirring, not even those of the dark.

On Pena's bungalows, stockings were hung by the chimneys with care,

in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Python and Bowwow were nestled all snug in their beds,

while visions of food danced in their heads.

And with a pillow lying on their heads like a cap,

They had just settled their brains for a long winter's nap.

When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,

They sprang from their bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window they ran like a flash,

nosed open the shutter, and stared through the sash.

The full moon on the breast of the gleaming blue sea

gave the lustre of midday to objects they could see,

when, what to their wondering eyes should appear,

but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

They knew in a moment it must be St. Nick (not really, but it rhymes).

More rapid than argens, the reindeer they came,

and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:

"Now Dasher! Now Dancer!

Now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid!

On, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch!

To the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away!

Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before a windstorm fly,

when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky

so up to the house-top the reindeer they flew,

with the sleigh full of toys, and Santa Claus too.

And then, in a twinkling, they heard on the roof

the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As they drew in their heads and were turning around,

down the chimney Santa came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A large bundle, full of gifts, he had flung on his back,

And, as he landed, he began to open his fur-trimmed sack.

His eyes- they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

and the beard on his chin was as white as snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was jolly and plump, and laughed as Python and Bowwow's tails began to wag

Due to the chocolate and candy canes they could smell in his bag.

He gave Python and Bowwow a pat and a hug.

Before putting an extra big box on the rug.

He said "Dear dino and dog, it's true

This big box is filled with treats made specially for you"

He then, straight away, went back to his work,

and put the other gifts under the tree, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But they heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

 **I lied, by the way, in order to keep this a surprise. The genesis of this idea was, basically, "why the hell not?". Originally, this had whole verses devoted to mocking political corectness, however, I wanted to keep the simple, funny-but-heartwarming idea of Python and Bowwow meeting Santa. Another idea included a short vignette in which Nick and Lowery teaming up to train a choir of Troodons to sing Weird Al Yankovic's "The Night Santa Went Crazy", in order to film it and put it on YouTube. Another idea was a Dr. Seuss-esque story called "How Grumpy Stole Christmas". It pretty much is explained by the title, with Grumpy as the Grinch and Python as Max. It was also (BLEEP)ing awful and will never see the light of day.**

 **Have a Merry Christmas all, and have a Happy New Year! Except Glarn, who is an asshole and can rot in hell.**


	5. Night On Sorna

Chapter 5 - Night on Sorna

The night had not started well.

Firstly, it turned out Holly and James had not been coming to Sorna to take him on the Night Tour. They'd instead come to go on some date on the beach. And, secondly, James had grabbed him by the collar, got right in his face and told him " _Clear off_." Holly had done nothing to stop him, as usual. Nathan had simply muttered, "Charming" and walked off.

Nathan shivered. The hot day had paved the way for a bitterly cold night. Golden globes of fireflies like little stars buzzed around the branches of trees. It was a relatively peaceful night as well. There was something that was commonly used in adverts: Visit the other side of Prehistoric Park at night. Raptors would hunt in the moonlight, as the nocturnal animals howled like the devil and the giant orthocones and pliosaurs would smash the surface of the sea. With the nights getting longer as winter drew closer most likely they were waiting until later on in the night to cause a ruckus. As he walked along, the only people he saw were the occasional staff members. Few guests ventured out during the night. Families never did because of their children, some guests because at dinner they would have a few too many drinks which meant that they weren't allowed out in case they stumbled and broke their neck but mostly guests didn't venture out through fear.

Fear. The ghostly caws from raptors seemed to reverberate around the park while the unearthly cries from anonymous predators reminded people too much of stories that kept them awake at night as children. The night spoke with a thousand demonic voices. In the water the giant sharks like the Megalodon and the pliosaurs like Predator X would often skim the surface. Often people preferred it when they stayed down in the murky depths where humans had to go to them instead of the other way around. Although animals weren't the only factor. Fog and mist would descend on the islands creating an unearthly atmosphere while the forgotten statues of the damned souls who were once executed on these islands sent shivers down the hardiest of spines.

The cold slapped him in the face as he walked along. It was like knives slicing into his exposed skin. Grimacing he ventured through the mist. Through the mist he could see the meshed aviary of the Argentavis loom ominously ahead. It stretched god knows how high into the night sky to give the occupants ample flying room. Currently one of the giant birds had its head buried under one large wing with the smaller (but no less still large) Andean condors sleeping nearby.

He continued along until he arrived at the exhibit. Like the rest of the park they had tried to use natural barriers as much as possible and this one consisted mainly of a plain, surrounded by a rock wall. The only piece of fencing was at the far side which would allow the transport trucks to get in and out. For observation, there was a series of perspex panels built into the rock wall. There were few trees, since it had been made to resemble a African plain but, if Nathan couldn't see anything, it was due to the animals actually concealing themselves. Some animals didn't like to be seen and had learnt to avoid eye shine. He shined his torch into the exhibit in the hope that he could see the eye shine.

As he shone his torch into the enclosure, he suddenly noticed a pair of yellow eyes staring intently at him. Nathan briefly looked away and, as he turned round, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with a large male lion. "H-hello" Nathan stammered in fear as the lion ambled fully into the light, still staring intently at him. The lion, in response, emitted a low, throaty growl, sending a shiver down his spine. He was a magnificent looking animal, with a rather large, golden mane and a sleek, golden pelt – he looked the pinnacle of predatory magnificience. The colour of his mane, as well as the lack of scars on his pelt meant that he was quite young – older males had darkened manes, due to their greater amount of testosterone. The lion appeared more curious than anything else at Nathan's presence. Very few humans entered the park at night; the lion must have noticed Nathan shining his torch into the exhibit and thought that this was a keeper, breaking the usual routine by bringing him food at 10pm.

Eventually, the lion, understanding that he was not about to be fed, loped off, to continue patrolling his territory. He then turned round, lifted his tail and sprayed a rock; he was marking his territory. As Nathan walked away, he heard the lion loudly roaring, presumably to tell any as-yet-nonexistent competitiors that this was his turf. The roar sent a shiver down his spine; at that moment, he felt like he was on the African plains, hiding from a giant predator that wanted to devour him. That was part of the appeal of Prehistoric Park, in his opinion; reminding humanity how truly small and fragile it was. Teaching the human race some humility.

Holly had been waiting. She sat on a beach, waves cutting the water. Miles out to sea, a large, crocodile-like head broke the surface of the water and let out a haunting, whale-like cry. Holly could hear the call from miles away, briefly drowning out the cries from a dozen other creatures.

She was alone on the beach. James had gone and had been for the past hour or so. Holly sighed. She'd booked this romantic picnic under the stars in order to rekindle something. Maybe a romantic night on a beautiful tropical beach, would cause something to change. However, "maybe" just wasn't working at this moment.

James had been an absolute nightmare. He had arrived in a bad mood, which had never let up since. He'd complained about the food, calling it "shit" and said the wine was little more than "diluted water". When their concierge had arrived, he'd asked Holly out loud about how her period was going and threatened to "deck" their concierge when she'd asked him to stop doing a mocking imtiation of her lisp, causing her to leave crying. This had led to everyone giving her harsh stares; as if to say "Who the hell would date this idiot?". She looked ruefully at the tribal necklace, brought secretly in her handbag. The tribe who made it said that it was supposed to grant the bearer an everlasting love. Why wasn't it working at that moment?

After humilating and embarrasing her, James had up and left, claiming he needed to use the toilet, leaving her subject. He hadn't come back. Suddenly, her phone was vibrating. She picked it up and realise it was a text. From James. What it read crushed her. "Had 2 go bk 2 hotel for FaceTime wit budz. Bros B4 Hoes! Iwvb, anyway. Couldn't wait 2 leave."

Holly's eyes began to tear up. He'd stood her up! Inwardly, she cursed herself a fool. A fool for going out of her way for this when he clearly didn't care. And she was a fool for giving him a second chance in the first place, especially after he… Tears ran down her face at the painful memory, still gnawing at her six months later. She suddenly got up and walked away. If James didn't give two shits about their relationship, neither would she. She was going to find the one person who _wanted_ to spend time with her tonight.

Nathan was walking away from Tunisan Plains when he met up with Holly later that night. Apparently James, being the ass that he was, had stood. Nathan felt a combination of anger and sadness; anger at James having the _audacity_ to treat his sister like this and sadness at seeing her crying. He decided to cheer her up. He smiled at her and said "I know just where to take you".

They continued along, passing exhibits for sauropods, raptors and others, until they arrived at one of the largest exhibits on the island. Like the rest of the park they had tried to use natural barriers as much as possible and this one consisted mainly of a valley. The only piece of fencing was at the far side which would allow the transport trucks to get in and out. For observation, there was a series of perspex panels built into the wall. There were few trees, since it had been made to resemble Oligocene Mongolia but the reason for the lack of anything much resembling an animal was due to the size of the exhibit. Quite often, the only way to see a lot of the Park's animals (outside feeding times) was via the Gyrosphere or Wrangler tours. He shone his torch into the exhibit, repeating what he'd done with the lion, in the hope that he could see something, but to no avail. Holly looked quizically at him, before asking "Why are we here?"

Nathan shone his torch on the information display. It read: Paraceratherium. He smiled; he loved these animals. They were the largest land mammals and, with a large male weighing up to 12 tonnes, even dwarfed the majority of dinosaurs. They were almost a chimera of an animal; they combined the lumbering strength and power of an elephant, with the grace and majesty of a giraffe. He'd seen them on many documentaries about Prehistoric Park and thought they were some of the most majestic, marvellous animals he had ever seen. In fact, Paraceratherium was one of his favourite prehistoric animals (the others being Dimetrodon and Utahraptor).

They looked at steps leading to a small hut in a tree, reminding them of a treehouse they had when they were children. This was a hide, where guests could observe the animals that made this paddock home. They climbed up the steps, into the hide. No doubt, the pen's occupants would be asleep. But the view was still nice.

The hide was dimly lit, by a single lamp. Even in the dim light, they could see what looked like a large vending machine in the corner. It was actually a feed dispenser. Guests could put a small amount of money in and collect a bag of feed to give to the animals. Through a window in the hut he could see into the exhibit. Suddenly, as they turned round, a giant horse-like head was staring into the hut. It was a magnificent looking animal, with small, oval-shaped, orange eyes, leathery skin, and a long, muscular neck which led to a giant, powerful body. The Paraceratherium, a large male, looked at him with inquisitiveness. He was, no doubt, unused to people coming in the hide in the middle of the night and had come over to investigate.

Holly briefly pushed Nathan behind her; a protective gesture. Nathan shook his head and whispered to her, "He's a plant-eater, don't worry." Holly relaxed, but still remained a bit nervous. It was extremely large, after all. Nathan stammered "H-hey there, big fella, I didn't see you there. Are you hungry?". The Paraceratherium lowed in affirmative. Nathan put a small amount of money in the machine (kicking it for good measure) and the hook slid forward, taking a bag, which contained several lettuce slices. The bag fell out of the machine, followed by a second, and Nathan collected them, giving one bag to Holly. Nathan picked one lettuce slice out and the Paraceratherium reached out a long, blue tongue, like a giraffe, wrapped its tongue around the lettuce slice and pulled it into its mouth. Holly did likewise.

After a few minutes, the Paraceratherium shook his head from side to side, briefly causing the hide to quake. Holly took a step back, pushing Nathan behind her, and both shut their eyes in surprise. When they opened them, they saw hundreds of glowing fireflies surrouding them. They both smiled, as they buzzed around them, illuminating the room. They looked beautiful. Holly turned to both Nathan and the Paraceratherium and smiled, before suddenly grabbing the nearest one in her hands. She unfurled them, revealing the insect, emitting a beautiful yellow glow, which all three briefly regared, before Holly released it into the dark, dissapearing to a pinprick of light in the distance.

The time dissapeared quickly, as both Holly and Nathan had quickly found that their bags were empty. They both shook their heads at the giant animal, indicating that they didn't have any food. The Paraceratherium pulled its head out of the hide, turned round and lumbered off, letting out a low, trumpeting bellow, like that of an elephant. Nathan and Holly briefly waved at the departing giant, with Nathan calling out "Bye!", despite being convinced the giant couldn't hear him.

After that brief experience, both Nathan and Holly felt elated. They clambered down the steps and almost danced away. Nathan remembered something Stephen Fry had said in a documentary in which he visited the park, as he had watched a Spinosaurus tend to its chicks, "The gentler side of such huge creatures is just as compelling as their great size and dramatic displays of strength." Nathan paused and decided; while he couldn't say about Holly, in his opinion, he liked the gentler side better. It was more unexpected. It was more surprising. It was simply more marvellous.

Due to the large size of Sorna, they couldn't look around all the enclosures so they decided to go on a Jeep tour that only ran at night, which took them through several animal enclosures. The first stop was Flaming Cliffs. The Jeep trundled through the trees into a clearing, in which a large cow carcass lay. Holly turned to Nathan and asked "What lives in here?". Nathan smiled and said, with barely concealed pleasure, "Just wait." After what seemed like an eternity, there was a thud and a large green scaled head with a mouth full of teeth parted the trees. A pair of evil amber eyes followed it then a thick neck covered in sandy-brown feathers, then a muscly sandy-feathered body with two small forearms with long feathers coming from it. The Tarbosaurus gave a low rumble and started sniffing the air. Suddenly the attack came, as the Tarbosaurus emerged, with frightening speed and agility. It cleared the distance in no time, securing the carcass with one enormous foot. The Tarbosaurus stood triumphantly over its "kill", before letting out a loud, triumphant roar. With one growl, the dinosaur disappeared as soon as it had come, dragging its prize back into the trees. "That was AWESOME!", Holly cheered, before grabbing Nathan into a clumsy hug.

The rest of the tour was less... dramatic than that. The Jeep trundled to the Pleistocene Australia exhibit, where they saw a Megalania eagerly tear apart the carcass of a cow and Holly expressed surprise when she was told that the giant Diprotodon was actually a marsupial and Bahariya Beds, where they saw a giant Sarcosuchus basking on a river bank. "That is a goddamn huge crocodile!", Holly said with a combination of awe and fear. Nathan nodded and said "Yeah. That's Sarcosuchus, a giant crocodile from Egypt, 95 million years ago. It ate dinosaurs". Finally, the Jeep went through the hadrosaur paddock, where they looked in awe as a large herd of giant hadrosaurs, emitting low cow-like bellows, were calmly browsing. They were accompanied by a small herd of giant sauropods, their long necks gracefully silhouetted in the moonlight, as the Jeep trundled past. Nathan and Holly turned to each other and smiled as they witnessed the beautiful scene, as the Jeep trundled off into the night.

The night dissapeared quickly, as it seemed like ages ago that they had left the monorail. They stood, as the monorail whirred into the station. The monorail stopped with a hiss and Holly led a very tired Nathan into the monorail as the doors whirred open. Holly took the seat by the window as it took off into the night, heading back to Nublar and to their hotel.

Holly turned to see Nathan lightly snoring; he'd fallen asleep and snuggled against her shoulder. She felt tired too; the night had been exhausting, but it had been one of the best nights of her life. She gave him a gentle hug, before turning to see a brief glimpse of a large fluked tail slapping the surface of the water; an unidentifiable giant. She shut her eyes and calmly breathed out. She was suddenly brought back to reality, when the monorail stopped with a hiss. She nudged Nathan awake and took his hand, as the doors whirred open and they stepped out into the night…

 **It somewhat occurs to me that this is the first chapter that is actually, in a sense, on time. No, before any of you surmise the worst, what James did six months ago did not involve rape or physical abuse (before any people with disturbing imaginations take the line). It's going to be revealed soon, but it's actually far less than it appears, so don't worry.**

 **Oh, and I would like clarification on this, where are the animals from the first twelve Back From The Ashes missions kept? Here are the ones I know:**

 **Time of Titans In Texas – Muerta**

 **Nala's Herd – Sorna**

 **Beasts of Africa – Muerta**

 **Gods of the Jurassic – Nublar**

 **Hard Headed Herbivores – Nublar**

 **Dusk of The Indominus – Nublar**

 **I would like clarification on the other six, since I'd like to include animals from some of those missions in future chapters.**

 **I'll upload something to go with this tommorow, because it's half 10 at night and I need to go to bed.**


	6. Being The Alpha

**Being The Alpha by Owen Grady**

 **Chapter 2: If We Could Talk to Animals**

Remember the story of Dr. Dolittle, the man who was able to speak and understand the language of any animal he happened to meet? From the Hugh Lofting books to the 1928 silent film, to the thirties radio series, to the 1967 movie musical and seventies cartoons, to the blockbuster Eddie Murphy comedies, this wonderful tale and its main character have appealed to children and adults generation after generation. Just think of the countless worlds that would be unlocked if we saw things as animals see them. Imagine looking down at the earth through the eyes of a soaring bird, moving through life in three dimensions like a whale, or "seeing" the world through sound waves, the way bats do. Who hasn't dreamed of such thrilling possibilities? The attraction of the Dr. Dolittle story is that it brings animals to life, in big-screen living color.

What would you say if I told you that Doctor Dolittle's secret was more than just creative fiction?

Perhaps you're imagining this secret from a human perspective.

You're wondering if I'm telling you that there's a verbal way to talk with animals, perhaps with the use of a phrase book that translates your language into theirs. What would their languages look like, sound like, you wonder? What words would it include? Would you have to shout the translations, or could you whisper them? Would you have to learn how to bark, whimper, hiss or squawk? Sniff a dog's behind? And how would the animal answer you back? How would you translate what he was saying? As you can see, creating a animal-to-human phrase book, or even an animal-to-animal phrase book—the way, say, an English-to-Spanish phrase book is created—would be a very complicated effort indeed.

Wouldn't it be simpler if there was a universal language that every species could understand? "Impossible," you say. "Even human beings don't all speak the same language!" True, but that hasn't kept people from trying to find a common language for centuries. In the ancient world, all the higher-class, educated people learned Greek. That way, they could all read and understand the most important documents. In the medieval era, anybody who was _anybody_ knew how to read and write Latin.

Today, English is at the top of the language food chain. Growing up in California, right near the Mexican border, I saw people learn this the hard way. Believe me, if you're not born speaking it, English is a monster of a language to learn from scratch—yet everyone from the Chinese to the Russians now accept it as the international language of business. Humans have sought other ways to breach the language barrier. No matter what language you speak, if you're blind, you can use Braille. If you're deaf, you can understand any other deaf person using International Sign Language. Mathematics and computer languages cross many linguistic borders and allow humans of different tongues to converse easily with one another, thanks to the power of technology.

If humans can succeed in designing these collective languages, can't we create a way to converse with the other species on the planet? Isn't there a language we can learn that means the same thing to every creature?

Good news! I'm happy to report that the universal language of Doctor Dolittle already exists. And humans didn't invent it. It's a language all animals speak without even knowing it, including the human animal. What's more, all animals are actually born knowing this language instinctually. Even human beings are fluent in this universal tongue, but we tend to forget that we are because we are trained from childhood to believe that words are the only way to communicate. The irony is, even though we don't think we know the language anymore, we are actually speaking it all the time. Unknowingly, we are broadcasting in this tongue 24-7! Other species of animals can still understand us, even though we may not have a clue how to understand them. They read us loud and clear, even when we're unaware that we're communicating!

This truly universal, interspecies language is called energy.

 **Energy in the Wild**

How can energy be a language? Let me give you some examples. In many situations, different animal species intermingle effortlessly. Looking out my office window, now, I can see a large watering hole where different plant eaters, such as sauropods, dryosaurs and stegosaurs, wandering around, happily drinking out of the same crystal-clear pond. All is peaceful, despite the many different species sharing the same space. How do they all get along so smoothly? And for a smaller example, in our Cuban Canopy, we have macaws, ivory-billed woodpeckers, hummingbirds, solenodons, even iguanas and tree frogs, all happily coexisting. There's no trouble until someone wanders off the path.

Why? Because all these animals are communicating with the same relaxed, balanced, non-confrontational energy. Every animal knows that all the other animals are just hanging out, doing their own thing—drinking water, foraging for food, relaxing, grooming one another. Everybody's feeling mellow and no one's attacking anyone else. Unlike us, they don't have to ask one another how they're feeling. The energy they are projecting tells them everything they need to know. In that sense, they are speaking to one another, all the time.

Now that you've got this peaceful vision in your mind, imagine this: Suddenly, a new animal enters your backyard, or approaches our imaginary jungle waterhole, projecting a completely different energy. This new energy could be something as minor as one macaw trying to steal another's fruit, or a camptosaur jockeying another camptosaur for a better drinking position at the oasis. It could also be as serious as a male stegosaur challenging another male to a territorial fight. Ever notice how a whole group of peaceful animals can turn scared or defensive in an instant, sometimes even before a predator has shown itself on the scene? They probably got a whiff of its scent—but it's also probable that they sensed the energy the predator was projecting.

What's always amazing to me about the animal kingdom is that even if a predator is near, all the other animals can usually tell if it's safe to stay around it or not. Imagine being introduced to a man you knew to be a serial killer. Would you be able to relax in his presence? Of course not! But if you were another kind of animal on this planet, you would probably be able to sense whether the serial killer was on the prowl or simply kicking back. Animals immediately recognize when a predator is projecting a hunting energy, sometimes even before they spot the predator itself. As humans, we are so often blind to these nuances in animal energy—we think a raptor is dangerous at all times, when, really, if he's just eaten a three-hundred pound meal, he's probably more tired than treacherous. The moment his tummy gets empty, however, he's a different animal—all instinct, all survival energy. Even the smallest of animals will pick up on this subtle difference. Yet we humans tend to be blind to what, in the animal kingdom, is pretty much a flashing red light.

Here's an example of animal energy that folks who live in the American South can probably relate to. On a sunny day in Florida, Louisiana, or the Carolinas, you'll see giant alligators sunning their leathery bodies on the banks of swamps—all over expensive, exclusive golf courses! Meanwhile, golfers are teeing off a few feet away. Herons and cranes and turtles are happily sunning themselves right next to these terrifying reptiles. Eighty-pound old ladies are walking their teacup-size dogs on footpaths just inches from the alligators' swamp. What's going on here? It's simple. The other animals—from the turtles to the teacup Chihuahuas—are aware, on an instinctual level, that these fearsome predators aren't in a hunting mode at the moment. One thing you can be sure of—when the same big creature's tummy starts to rumble and his energy shifts into hunting mode, the rest of the animals will be gone in the blink of an eye. Except maybe the golfers. But they are one of the strangest species in nature, and even modern science hasn't figured them out yet.

 **Energy in Humans**

When it comes to energy, we humans have much more in common with animals than we usually like to admit. Imagine one of the most ruthless jungles in the human world—the high school cafeteria. Picture it as a watering hole where different species—in this case, the cliques of jocks, nerds, and stoners—peacefully intermingle. Then a bully "accidentally" bumps into a smaller guy's food tray. The energy released by that interaction will ripple right through the entire room. Ask your teenager if this isn't true. And exactly as in the animal kingdom, this energy shift doesn't even have to be as blatant as a shove. Let's say the little guy in the cafeteria is having a really bad day. He's failed two tests in a row, he's worried about his sick mom, he's found out his girlfriend's cheating on him with his brother; in short, he is in a weak state of mind. He happens to look up and accidentally catch the eye of the bully. Maybe the bully was just minding his own business, but as soon as he picks up on the weaker guy's diminished energy, the whole dynamic between them changes in a split second. In the animal kingdom, that's called survival of the fittest.

Let's take this concept beyond the school lunchroom and think about our society as whole. Right or wrong, we in America expect our leaders to project a dominant, powerful energy, like that of a Bill Clinton or a Ronald Reagan. Some powerful leaders project a charismatic energy that infects and energizes everyone around them—consider Tony Robbins. Martin Luther King, Jr., projected an energy that was what I call "calm-assertive"—the ideal energy for a leader. Though Gandhi was also a leader, his energy was of a more compassionate nature.

It's interesting to note that Homo sapiens is the only species on the planet that will follow a wise, kind, compassionate, or lovable leader. Humans will even follow an unstable leader, but that's another book in itself! As difficult as it may be for us to understand, in the animal kingdom, a Fidel Castro would win out as leader over a Mother Teresa any day. In the animal world, there is no morality, no right and wrong. Conversely, animals never cheat or lie their way to power—they can't. Other animals would figure them out in a heartbeat. Nature's leaders must project the most obvious and uncontestable strength and skill. In the animal kingdom, there are only rules, routines, and rituals—based on survival of the strongest, not of the smartest or fairest.

 **What Makes An Alpha?**

Now that I have explained the powerful "language" of energy, I have to help you understand what energy an alpha has, or needs. It takes only a few seconds to determine what kind of energy you are projecting, so it's important that an alpha's energy has to be consistent. The best energy an alpha needs to project what I call "calm-assertive" energy at all times. A calm-assertive leader is relaxed but always confident that he or she is in control.

Now, the word assertive has gotten an unfair bad rap lately. Maybe it's because it is so similar to the word aggressive, but their meanings are worlds apart. Think of people in popular culture. No matter if you agree with his politics (I personally don't), you've _got_ to admit that Bill O'Reilly is angry-aggressive. He yells "Shut up!," interrupts other people when they are speaking, and tries to get his way through bullying. In most everyday situations, being angry-aggressive can work against you—it's simply not an energy-efficient way to get things done, and it's really not good for your blood pressure. Worse, using aggression for every problem you face is a sign of a poor psychological state and an inability to read the emotions of others. In short, an angry-aggressive type would not make a good alpha because the others in the pack would perceive him as mentally unstable.

I haven't come across many people who are "calm-aggressive" in my job, though I suppose you could describe Hannibal Lecter that way—he's talking about how he killed someone and ate their liver in the manner most people describe what they had for lunch. In any case, "calm-aggressive" is not an energy state that's natural to the nonhuman creatures in the animal kingdom.

But calm-assertive personalities? They are the leaders of the animal world. In our human landscape, they are few and far between, but they are almost always the most powerful, impressive, and successful people on the block, both now and in history; consider Martin Luther King Jr. or, today, Oprah Winfrey. They are relaxed, eventempered, but undeniably powerful, and always in charge. People everywhere respond to their magnetic energy, which makes them influential and successful. If you're looking for a role model in calm-assertive energy, turn your channel to The Oprah Winfrey Show and watch her interact with her guests and her audience. That's the kind of energy an alpha has. That's how they interact with their pack.

 **Fake It Till You Make It**

What if you're not naturally a calm-assertive person? How do you react when a problem pops up? Are you panicky and excitable, or defensive and aggressive? Do you tend to handle problems as if they were a personal assault upon you? It's true that energy doesn't lie, but energy and power can be focused and controlled. Biofeedback, meditation, yoga, and other relaxation techniques are excellent for learning about how to better control the energy you project. Spending eight years in intensive judo training as a boy made controlling my mental energy second nature for me. If you're high-strung, anxious, or overly emotional—dead giveaways when animals are reading your energy—such techniques can make a big difference for an alpha. Learning to harness the power of the calm-assertive energy within you will also have a positive impact on your own mental health—and on your relationships with the humans in your lives. I guarantee it.

There are a lot of wonderful animal behaviourists and psychologists who have influenced me. Some of the behaviourists who have most influenced me are Jane Goodall, Desmond Morris, Sarah Harding and George Schaller. Psychological theories such as those pioneered by Daniel Kahneman and Walter Mischel are also excellent tools for transforming the way you relate in the world.

 **Calm-Submissive Energy**

The proper energy for a follower in a pack is called calm-submissive energy. This is the healthiest energy for a follower to project in a relationship with an alpha. When people see me working with my animals, they are often astounded at how mellow a group of raptors can be 90 percent of the time. That's because the pack is made up of calm-submissive, mentally balanced animals.

The word submissive carries with it negative connotations, just as the word assertive does; possibly due to its use in certain sexual kinks (damn you, E.L James!). Submissive doesn't mean pushover. It doesn't mean you have to make someone into a zombie or a slave. It simply means relaxed and receptive. It's the energy of a group of well-behaved students in a classroom, or of a church congregation. When I give my behavior seminars, I always thank my audience for being in a calm-submissive state—that is, open-minded and able to converse easily with one another.

For a pack to truly communicate, the lower-ranking member must project a calm-submissive energy before an alpha can get them to obey him. Even when a pack member is hunting, he's not assertive—he's active-submissive. Though that pack member is sprinting through the environment, pursuing the prey, the alpha will first sit the pack down and wait until they are in a submissive state of mind, and only then will give them the signal to begin the hunt.

 **Body Language**

Any member of a pack is constantly observing another, reading their energy. However, they are also reading their body language. Animals use body language as another means of communicating with one another, but it's important to remember that their body language is also a function of the energy they're projecting. Energy feeds the body language, and in turn, the body language reinforces the energy. The two are always interconnected.

Animals learn to interpret the body language of others by the visual clues he or she gives you, but it's important to remember that different energy can determine the context of a posture. It's like those pesky words called homonyms in English—words that sound exactly the same but mean different things. Like read and red, or flee and flea. For the non-native English speaker (or, indeed, the dyslexic), it takes a little while to learn how to distinguish between such words. But of course, it all comes down to context. How a word is used is what determines its meaning. It's the same with dogs and body language. A raptor baring his throat may be signalling calm submission, which is the appropriate energy for a follower in a pack. Or, he may be signalling that he is afraid. One raptor nipping another may signal dominance, or it may simply be play behavior. The energy always creates the context.

 **May I Sniff You?**

As I mention earlier, for some animals, scent can also function as a language. For most mammals, their nose—millions of times more sensitive than yours—provides him with a huge amount of important information about his environment and the other animals in it. In nature, a mammal's anal scent is his "name." When most mammals meet, they'll sniff each other as a way of introduction. Since they don't have phone books, these animals can tell other animals where they live and where they've roamed by urinating on a "signpost"—a bush, a tree, a rock, or a pole. When a female is in heat, she'll deposit her scent through urine all throughout her territory, placing a kind of personal ad for the male animals in the neighbourhood (This, most notoriously, applies to pet dogs, admirers of whom who may show up on her owner's doorstep the following morning, without her poor human owner knowing how in the world they got "invited.") Through scent, animals can also find out if another animal is sick or what kind of food it has been eating. As in the studies of dogs and their ability to "sniff" out emotional changes in humans, scientists have for many years been trying to understand the miraculous power of the animal nose to discern all sorts of subtle information. In September 2004, the British Medical Journal published the results of a Cambridge University study that proved that dogs could "sniff out" bladder cancer in urine samples at least 41 percent of the time. For years, there had been anecdotal evidence of such miraculous feats, but now science is actively working to research how dogs can help detect diseases at much earlier stages than even some high-tech equipment can detect it.

You know those whole-body CT scan machines, where you lie down for a few moments and supposedly get a complete diagnosis of all your bodily systems? That's pretty much what animals do when they first meet each other. They use their noses to give you a whole-body scan, check you out, find out where you've been and what you've been doing lately. It's good etiquette to let them do it. With my raptors, when a new raptor enters the pack's territory, it is only polite for him to remain still while everybody in the pack comes up and smells him. If he stands quietly, allowing the others to finish sniffing, he will be accepted more easily into the pack. If he moves away, the others will chase him around until they're done sniffing. A sign that an animal is antisocial toward others is that they are uncomfortable or aggressive about being sniffed. Those are animals that haven't learned any manners—like a human who won't shake hands upon introduction. When a person enters the gate of the pen and walks through the pack, they will do the same thing to her. That's the only way they can become comfortable with a new animal of any species—by learning to distinguish her by her scent. I'm not "Owen" to the raptors. I'm their pack leader, which is Owen's scent and energy.

However, while smelling me is a way for them to recognize me, projecting the correct energy is the key to becoming a good alpha. We'll go deeper into the alpha concept—it is the cornerstone of many healthy relationships. But first, it's important to remember that an animal doesn't see the world the same way you do. Once you learn to experience an animal as an animal first, and not as a differently-shaped human, you will be better able to understand their "language" of energy—and truly "hear" what they are saying to you.

 **Here's an extract from Being the Alpha, Owen Grady's book which we last saw mentioned (and of which Nathan possesses a copy) in Chapter 1. The book is largely based on Cesar's Way, because I (like many others) noted similarities between Owen and Cesar Milan (both being people who have developed a respect and connection with animals most people would consider dangerous.**


	7. The Morning After

Chapter 6 – The Morning After

The mood was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Holly stood, staring at a sign saying _Jurassic Treetops_. James was standing next to her, giving her a sour look. There'd been a big argument about James' behaviour last night; Holly. James had used one of his favourite tactics; guilt-tripping, promptly followed by weak excuses. They hadn't worked six months ago; she couldn't fathom why he'd think they'd work now. She just stared at him and chose to look out over the marvellous vista before her.

Jurassic Treetops was a large viewing area, resembling the viewing deck of a ship. The idea had been to allow guests to see the mighty creatures of the Jurassic face-to-face; you could even, for a small fee, buy a bag of fern leaves in order to feed them. However, certain things had not been accounted for. Holly was witnessing one of those things now. "Oi! Do something, you brainless lizard!", James yelled at the calmly browsing apatosaur, which took no notice. Angered that the dinosaur was not paying attention to his arrogant yelling, James picked up a small stone from nearby and hurled it at the browsing animal. His aim was off and the animal did not seem to register the human, nor the projectile that had been thrown at it; instead, it continued to browse. However, the rock landed near a group of small green dinosaurs (dryosaurs, according to the guidebook), causing them to scatter into the bushes. James smiled at this minor victory and Holly gave him an exasperated look; of all the things she wanted, attention at this particular moment was not one of them.

Suddenly, Holly turned round to see a woman wearing a Prehistoric Park keeper's uniform walking into the viewing area. She turned to James and said "Sir, please stop harassing our animals". James gave the keeper a sour look, "Oh _fuck off_ , you frigid bitch." he sneered at her, with a raised middle finger. The keeper's eyes widened briefly, but she remained poker faced and said "Sir, disrespect towards staff will not be tolerated. Now either behave or leave." James looked at her sourly. "Fine", he seethed, "Come on Holly!" He stalked off, dragging Holly behind him.

 _Later, in Morrison Mumbo_

Holly was sitting in Morrison Mumbo, trying to ignore James' arrogant moaning and keeping her attention on either her meal or the dinosaurs roaming about over the veranda. She tuned back in when he said, "Yeah, so Brandon was telling me that, ever since he dumped Sian, his life's massively improved. No more nagging. Getting rid of her was the best thing he ever did" Holly ignored him and cut her steak, her eyes directed to a brachiosaur walking past the viewing area. She gave him a withering stare; this was a topic that was sensitive for her.

Sian was Holly's best friend; they'd known each other since they were children. Sian had stayed at their house practically every weekend. Nathan had got to know her very well; in fact, he was closest to her out of all of Holly's friends. Sometimes, Holly suspected Nathan had developed a (not so) mild crush on her. Well, Holly full well knew that Nathan was the "secret admirer" who'd sent Sian a beautifully written card, a box of her favourite brand of chocolates and a bouquet of blue (her favourite colour) flowers last Valentine's Day. Well, her boyfriend at the time definitely didn't. It wasn't like him.

About a year ago, she'd started seeing Brandon, James' best friend. The relationship had ended recently; at Holly's 18th birthday, three weeks before, Brandon revealed he'd been cheating on her with one of her closest friends. He'd then yelled at her, implying it was her fault for finding out, before threatening to punch Nathan when he'd tried to defend her; which James found amusing. Sian had left crying; she'd been heartbroken at this betrayal and both Nathan and Holly had been a constant source of emotional support in the weeks that followed.

James' views on the matter were somewhat different. "The annoying bitch deserved to be cheated on", James sneered. Holly didn't give him the dignity of a reply; she just stared at him. That party had been the worst of her life; James and his friends joking about the death of her aunt's dog, Brandon "accidentally" ruining her late grandmother's wedding dress, one of her family's most valuable heirlooms, and James and his friends spending the whole night treating Nathan like a servant. Combine that with more alcohol drunk in 24 hours than was normally drunk in her house in a month, you had a recipe for hell. And indeed it was; half the house had been destroyed, several prize possessions had been broken, ruined or simply wrecked and the family car had been totalled after James had deliberately crashed it into the garage door – the repairs had cost over £1000.

"Yeah, and Brandon was going on about how Phoebe…"

Holly snapped, "No. Don't bring her up."

James grinned at the response and said "Why? What's wrong with me bringing her up? She's family, isn't she?"

"Just don't. She's no family of mine. Not anymore. You, of all people, should know that."

Nathan was sitting on the train, heading to Isla Muerta, looking out of the window at the churning sea, seeing if he could see anything in the waters below. Well, looking out the window was better than listening to the person across from him. "I'd have loved to have seen it when Holly came back last night. But then, I do love a tense atmosphere.", Gerard smirked. Nathan gave him a withering look. Gerard typically _avoided_ "tense atmospheres" when he was needed and made unfunny jokes when he wasn't. Case in point; three months ago, there had been a "tense atmosphere", when Molly died.

Molly was a yellow Labrador, owned by Wendy, Nathan's aunt. She was a replacement for Jasmine, a black Labrador, who died suddenly at the grand old age of 13. Molly's life, however, would be a lot shorter and more fraught. Molly had some genetic disorder which meant her immune system didn't really work properly. She was very weak and sick and had to have injections every month to boost her immune system. Molly was only six when she died; she'd had a fit, which she didn't come out of. Everyone was crying… well not everyone. Gerard, when informed, briefly gave his sympathies and said, in the tone associated with brutal honesty, "Well, I can't say I'm surprised in any way. We all knew it was going to happen someday. I'm actually surprised it didn't happen years ago; that she lasted as long as she did. I'm sorry, but that's true." At least that was some attempt at consolation. James had said, out loud, "Plague Dog FINALLY kicked the bucket?" Wendy had cried.

Nathan briefly clenched his fists at the memory. At Holly's 18th birthday party, the _bastard_ and his friends had been joking about Molly, with that hateful… _pig_ Brandon saying that "I'd have wrung the stupid thing's neck. The only thing it was good for was a throw rug". In order to get his mind off the thoughts in his head, he decided to look at the window, when the monorail suddenly jerked to a stop and the doors slid open. He looked to see _Muerta Main Station_ in blue text on the roof. He looked, shook his head and walked out the doors.

Gerard, Liz, Lauren and Jack were some distance away. Nathan chose to lag behind, sometimes pausing to look in curiosity at a nearby animal. What he was really thinking about was the Night Tour last night. For the first time in two years, he'd spent time with Holly. The _real_ Holly, not the one that had appeared when she'd started dating James. The funny, kind, sociable Holly. The Holly who'd always looked out for him when he was a child. The Holly he knew. The Holly he loved.

Nathan, looking through the crowd, briefly squinted to see a man in PP keeper gear. He was in his late twenties/early thirties with ruffled, short brown hair, a slight beard and a solitary demeanour about him. Nathan's eyes widened. He knew who this was. Dr. Owen Grady. His personal hero. Nathan opened his knapsack to see a copy of Dr. Grady's book, Being The Alpha, a world bestseller. If he wanted it signed, this was his best hope.

Nathan calmly sidled up to Dr. Grady and "E-Excuse me…", to which Dr. Grady responded with a "What?". Nathan brandished his copy of _Being The Alpha_ like a shield and asked "I wondered if you c-could be k-kind enough to s-sign it?" Grady shrugged and went, "Yeah, sure." Nathan smiled awkwardly and handed him the book. "T-thank you, Dr. Grady", he stammered.

"Owen. Only assholes call me Dr. Grady". Nathan felt panic. He had been experiencing this warm feeling with Owen, but now he sensed it was dissolving away, as if he had gotten an algebraic equation wrong in front of Mr Mortimer, a notoriously short-tempered maths teacher who had little tolerance for what he perceived as stupidity – and for him, there was no greater show of stupidity than confusing _x_ and _y_ in algebra. _Again_. He decided to salvage the conversation; point out a bit of the book he'd liked. Flatter him. Nathan said "I l-liked the bit where you talked a-about calm-assertive leadership and its relevance to being an alpha. It appealed to me a lot." To this, Owen smiled; "Well, if I knew I was going to be popular reading amongst your age group, I'd have put in a few vampires."

Nathan managed to raise a smile and chuckled; "Believe me, you're not popular reading. E-everyone calls me a geek for reading your book. Everyone laughed at me in an English lesson once, because I said _Being the Alpha_ was my favourite book. My English teacher snapped at me when she found I was reading it. S-she said I was reading 'c-chauvnistic drivel' that encouraged "masculine dominance". She was a complete feminazi, though." That was true. Ms. Porter was terribly feminist; she'd yelled at him after class when he'd tried to point out that all of Shakespeare's plays were not about "female oppression".

Owen smiled at him back, "Yeah. I've got into trouble with them a few times. All your life people have problems with your accomplishments – what you say, how you say it, what you do. My advice; never let them see that they get to you". He handed the book back to Nathan, "Here you go. Have a nice day", and calmly walked off. Nathan opened the book to see Owen Grady's signature on the front page. Nathan was so overjoyed, he couldn't move. His personal hero had signed his book! He had never felt happier.

He practically skipped the remaining distance towards his waiting relatives, who all looked at him as if he was from Mars. "Why are you so happy?", Gerard said. Nathan recounted the story of the past five minutes; how he'd had his book signed by Owen Grady. "The raptor trainer you like? Good for you.", Gerard said in a distracted, apathetic tone. Liz gave him a look and sneered, "I'm surprised he could actually understand anything you said. Half the time I c-can't understand a w-word you're s-saying. Is he fluent in gibberish as well?"

Nathan gave her a look; she was mocking his stammer. Nathan had had a stammer ever since he could talk; it was particularly noticeable when he was excited, scared or anxious. He'd gone to a speech therapist in order to rectify the problem when he was a child, but it still remained. He found s difficult and had occasional problems with e, but the words he really struggled on were hard c's and k's.

Gerard laughed awkwardly, scratched his head and muttered "You know, he had to go to speech classes for that…" Jack sniggered and Lauren gave Nathan a look of pained sympathy. Liz turned to Nathan and said, in a tone just _dripping_ with venom, "They didn't work then, did they?", before stalking off.

There was a slight pause after that, interrupted when Gerard suggested a ride on the Gyrospheres and they headed off for the nearest station . Nathan, after a few minutes of walking, noticed something was wrong; there were no sarcastic or "witty" comments. Nathan turned around to suddenly notice… Gerard was gone! The bastard had stranded Nathan with Lauren and Jack. He turned to Lauren to ask "Where's Gerard?" Lauren, who appeared to be very sad, said "Dad left. He said he had things to do." Jack was standing in a wordless huff, arms folded. Seeing Lauren's dejected expression, Nathan decided to cheer her up. He smiled at her and said "I know just where to take you".

He led them to the entrance of the Gryosphere station near the San Antonio Walkways. He briefly paused to look at the vehicles in the loading station. The Gyrospheres, made by Masrani Tech, looked like enormous transparent hamster wheels. Despite their ridiculous appearance, there was point to them; they were created as a means to provide up-close and personal experiences of dinosaurs and other animals. They were user-controlled, but followed invisible tracks built into the enclosures, in order to avoid any… adverse incidents with the larger animals. Nathan, Lauren and Jack sprinted ahead and bundled into the first; Nathan taking the pilot seat and Lauren and Jack taking the second. Suddenly, the track whirred and the station doors opened, as the autopilot took them out of the station and they all looked upon a neverending vista; a reconstruction of the Early Cretaceous of North America. And all throughout this panoramic view roamed herds of giant dinosaurs. Lauren gave a little awe-inspired gasp, as she looked out of the window. Nathan smiled at his two cousins and moved down the track towards the dinosaurs.

As they went along the track, Nathan gave them a little tour, identifying the various animals they saw: the giant sauropods were Sauroposeidon, the large armoured dinosaurs Pawpawsaurus, the small dome-headed dinosaurs Texacephale and the large ornithopods Tenontosaurus. As they drove near a Sauroposeidon, Lauren waved at the column-like legs and yelled "Hi there!" As if in response, the enormous sauropod bent down its head to look at the driving vehicle, giving a bellow in response.

They spent about twenty minutes on the ride, watching the different herds of various species mingle. They all wore large smiles; they felt like they had really been transported millions of years back into the past into a vanished world. When the alert came to take the Gyrosphere back to the station, they couldn't help but be disappointed.

Nathan and Lauren both exited the station smiling, Lauren practically hanging off Nathan's shoulder. Nathan wasn't really surprised… he and Lauren had always been pretty close; they were, out of all the cousins, closest to each other in age. Jack, who was standing some distance away, suddenly turned to Nathan and said "You're cool." Nathan smiled at him; this was the first time Jack had ever told him he was cool.

They walked towards Gerard and Liz, who were waiting for them outside the Gyrosphere station. Liz gave him a sour look, "What are you smiling about?" Nathan briefly thought of giving a response, but dismissed her. Today was going very well for him; he'd got his personal hero to sign his book, he'd spent time with his cousins… he'd had a great day, one of the best he'd ever had. Why let her ruin it?

Linda Jackson was sitting in the Cuban Canopy Aviary. She blew a blonde hair out of her eyes and opened her book. She noticed some teenage boy looking at her, waggling his eyebrows to his disinterested friend and muttering "MILF alert". Hearing this, Linda was suddenly reminded of a day recently, when one of Nathan's teachers had told her that, apparently, when a "guidance" person asked Nathan's class to list their greatest dreams and ambitions, the majority of his male classmates had written "Shagging Nathan's mum"; needless to say, the guidance person in question had been shocked. She didn't know whether to be amused, disturbed or flattered by this – for a forty two-year-old mother of two, she looked pretty young.

She turned to watch a beautifully coloured macaw land on the bench beside her, giving her a curious look; it wanted her to give it something. Giving it a smile, she shook her head and said "No, I haven't got anything for you". In response, the macaw threw back its head and squawked "DRINK! FECK! ARSE! GIRLS!" Linda chuckled briefly and shooed the bird away – _someone_ had been teaching the parrots rude words. She couldn't blame them (whoever they were) for doing it, though – she and her sister Barbara had done that with their family's parrot when she was a kid. She turned to see Andrew, her husband , walk towards her, carrying two ice-cold Diet Cokes.

People were giving them odd looks, to be sure; two adults at a bar called Macaw Margaritas having Diet Coke. But neither of them had been the "drinking" type – for Linda, the reasoning was personal. Her family were all drinkers – her father, especially. Oh, he wasn't an alcoholic per se – oh no, the idea of being drunk morning, noon and night would be horrendous for a man who considered it "ungentlemanly" to smoke indoors. But he was fond of drink, particularly on social occasions, in which he drank to excess. It hadn't done him any good; in his fifties, he'd developed what he jokingly called "the tingles" for the rest of his life – shaky hands caused by nerve damage in his fingers. He had to take medication for the condition for the rest of his life. Besides, he was two years dead – a victim of a brain tumour.

She didn't like drinking because of what had happened to him in later life – at the age of sixty, before he started taking the medication, his hands were shaking so much he could barely hold a glass. They thought he had Parkinson's disease.

Linda picked up her iPhone to check for texts; from either Holly or Gerard. Andrew sighed, running his hands through his short black hair, "They're not five years old anymore, Linda. Let them grow up." Linda gave him a sour look and said "I'm worried about them. I don't care how old they are; they're still my children. There's nothing in the brain that switches off when a child gets past 13; you never stop worrying about them. I don't know if I'm stopping them from living their lives." Andrew chuckled and said, "Lynn, if you were stopping them, they'd be here with us now." Linda smiled at that.

 **Sorry for the MASSIVE delay, but things in my actual life meant I didn't really have time to do this chapter. Get the reference in what the Cuban macaw is shouting and you win a cookie! And sorry Zane, but I'm not allowing political discussion in the review section.**


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